No. 8 Seed Terps Roll Past Wake Forest 72-66 In ACC First Round
March 1, 2002
GREENSBORO, NC.- - Maryland advanced to the ACC Tournament quarterfinal round after defeating Wake Forest 72-66 Friday night at the Greensboro Coliseum in the opening round of tournament action.
After playing with a deficit for most of the opening half, Maryland took the lead for the first time on two Deedee Warley (Fort Washington, Md.) free throws with 2:45 remaining in the half. The Terps ended the period up three points after sophomore guard Terri Daniels (Ellicott City, Md.) found senior forward Jamecca Harrell (Oxon Hill, Md.) for an easy two-pointer before the break. Despite Wake Forest shooting almost 60 percent (11-19), the Terps took a 29-26 advantage into the lockerroom paced by 10 first-half points by Warley.
Maryland kept the momentum in the second half, opening with a 24-2 run and leading 54-28 with under 10 minutes remaining. Wake Forest was persistent in spite of the 26-point Terrapin lead and came within seven points with 1:35 to play. The Terps hit their free throws down the stretch to hold on for the victory, the first ACC tournament win for any member of the current squad.
Redshirt-sophomore Vicki Brick (Timonium, Md.) and senior Rosita Melbourne (Washington, D.C.) both had 10 points in the Terps' outstanding second-half effort, and with Warley ended the night with a game-high 12 points. Maryland shot a season-high 70.6 percent from the field in the second half and outrebounded the Demon Deacons for the game, 35-30. Wake Forest Adele Harris led the Deacs in scoring, finishing with 10 points.
No. 8 seed Maryland will meet No. 2 seed North Carolina on Saturday, March 2 at 4:30 p.m. In the regular season, Maryland lost twice to North Carolina by scores of 68-57 and 85-58. The game will be broadcast on the ACC's regional sports affiliates, please check your local listings.
